Djokovic Still Not Sure If He’ll Play Monte Carlo, Decision To Come Tuesday

Oh, Please!!!!

Do we know about other players who have lost days after suffering a personal tragedy?

Djokovic would have lost anyway – he was playing Rafael Nadal.

April 15th, 2013 at 4:41 am

To me it seems like he is going to withdraw. If he cannot go 100% in a training session 2 days prior to a MS event, then what the hell is he expecting from himself in playing the tourny? I think he is trying his best to play but deep down he knows he will have to withdraw- hence the “exit door” remarks of giving himself time, not playing if not 100% etc. He’s close to te tourny organizers and they want him to play, so he’s trying his best. Yet if this was a regular MS event, not a home event, IMO he would have withdrawn by now. Time will tell!

April 15th, 2013 at 5:09 am

In my opinion, he should wisely skip Monte Carlo and ready himself for the rest of the Clay season. Ankle injuries are some times serious and can aggravate even though they might look fine today. What he needs now badly is some rest and the Clay season is also long with Madrid, Rome and all the important Rolland Garros in fray. It goes without saying that the most important trophy Novak would like to have today is Rolland Garros as it is the only major missing in his cabinet. But it will be not easy considering that Nadal is back and is in fine fettle. It would be a herculean task to beat Nadal at Rolland Garros. Only a guy named Soderling managed to do that way back in 2009 and he played phenomenal Tennis that day ofcourse helped by Nadal’s exhaustion of ceaseless Tennis tournaments.

April 15th, 2013 at 5:14 am

Im hoping Rafa will carry on playing the style that he has lately,going for his shots more and ending the points quicker,more agressive tennis and not getting into too many long rallies and shortening matches too,i liked the USO 2010 type of serve too with more pop on it,a good serve gives players cheap points.

April 15th, 2013 at 5:58 am

Djokovic says he already knows that he will be able to play from Madrid onwards but he is not sure about MC. How credible is that? He is either injured or he is not, if the injury is not that bad then why the suspense, why not just cur it out and say you will play?

I think he is waiting to see who comes through after the first round in his Qtr..

April 15th, 2013 at 6:29 am

^Sorry wrong thread oopsie^.

April 15th, 2013 at 6:30 am

rafaeli. I agree, waiting to see who comes through.

April 15th, 2013 at 7:03 am

Michael rest assured Novak will be back firing on all cylinders before you know it clay or not,Rafa only has a small window of oppotunity anyway the tennis CC season is very short,and Rafa as its been said many times has not won a HC title since Toronto in 2010 till IW this year,Novaks much better on clay than Rafa is off it,so dont worry he will back mopping up titles before you know it,Rafas season basically shuts down after the CC season is finished,as hes such a pile of garbage of clay,Novak will get the FO sooner or later to complete the set of that i am sure.

April 15th, 2013 at 7:44 am

“waiting to see who comes through.”

Aww c’mon. ROFL.

April 15th, 2013 at 9:33 am

skeezer, it’s not as funny as you think. Novak is meat to all comers these days. He’s had a few near escapes recently.

April 15th, 2013 at 9:37 am

@rafeli,

Look who is waiting to come through. Who?

April 15th, 2013 at 10:05 am

skeezer,
Raonic, Isner or Delpo for a start.

April 15th, 2013 at 10:08 am

Wasn’t last Friday the deadline for withdrawal anyway seeing as the draw was due to be published on Saturday??? #Unfair

April 15th, 2013 at 10:16 am

Or is he just seeking attention because he knows all eyes will be on Nadal.

April 15th, 2013 at 10:16 am

Delpo is gonna get through his first match. If the big guys go through he has to move less, still don’t think that his is charactor, to wait and see on that. His ankle is tender, day to day thing right now. I find it hard to believe he’ll play, but he is his own man.

April 15th, 2013 at 10:19 am

On there any other fans(nole fans where are u) wanting to comment on this or is this just another takeover Rafa fan thread?

April 15th, 2013 at 10:22 am

skeezer,
When did Novak say his ankle was tender?

April 15th, 2013 at 10:26 am

Are you guys giving Novak all this crap to make up for the, now, 8 months of crap we had to put up with and made sure to criticize Nadal with all of his knee stuff? Maybe Novak’s doing Nadal a solid because, in case anyone missed it, Nadal’s knee still isn’t 100% and he would have liked it to be better. I mean it really never ends with this guy, right?

April 15th, 2013 at 10:35 am

Rafeli,
It’s an assumption, have u ever turned an ankle?

April 15th, 2013 at 10:37 am

Ben,

You mean this?
http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2013/04/nadal-knee-sore-improving/47058/#.UWwRp3y9KSN.

You’re right, it never does.

April 15th, 2013 at 10:43 am

skeezer, you don’t know that Novak’s ankle was ever tender. I’ve just watched his interview and he did not say anything of the sort. By all means empathise with him but don’t state you assumptions as fact.

Rafa would pull out before the draw if he is hurt, he wouldn’t keep the tournament dangling on a will he won’t he thread. Novak’s replacement needs time to prepare.

April 15th, 2013 at 10:43 am

“Rafael Nadal tells Spanish TV station IB3 that his left knee is still not 100 percent healthy. Nadal, who took seven months off to rehabilitate his knee before returning in February and winning three tournaments, will try to defend his Monte Carlo title next week.

“After a tough tour and training, the knee has left me more sore than I would have liked,” Nadal said. “But in the last few days I am much better, really.”

But Rafa hasn’t left the tournament wondering whether he’ll play or not,

April 15th, 2013 at 10:48 am

This is hilarious! So Nadal has NEVER dangled with a will he/won’t he thing? And obviously what Djokovic is doing is just atrocious. I mean the nerve of the guy! First one to EVER say he’s going to wait until the last second before pulling out. What a shmuck!

April 15th, 2013 at 10:49 am

Ben Pronin. “I mean it really never ends with this guy, right?”
Rafa’s knees will never be 100%. He has CHRONIC tendinitis so you have to get used to these statements. Are you surprised and if so, why??

April 15th, 2013 at 10:49 am

Guys:

Let’s take it easy on the trading of insults regarding one player or the other on injury matters.

For one: it’s not nice to make fun of someone’s physical state when CLEARLY it’s a concern at least to them.

Two: Let’s not use all our insults at once- the season is barely 4 months old. Save the rest for later I suggest since lord knows there shall be more blows being traded on this forum!

LOL!

Regarding Novak:

IMHO taking the man at his word, seeing as he could not even go 100% in practise on sunday, I just do not see how he can be ready for wednesday.

And then when you consider that he has said he shall ONLY play if he feels he can be competitive, then realistically speaking he has slim chance of doing himself justice at this rate on that front.

He also has said if this was not his home event he would have DEFINITELY skipped it by now.

I think the best thing for him would be to skip this event: not in order to gain clay preparation as matches > practise, but moreso to protect his ankle.

IF he play’s I think it shall be to please others: his supporters, the organizer’s and my precious bracket! :-)

April 15th, 2013 at 10:49 am

Giles, was the chronic tendinitis the reason he missed 7 months? No, no it was not. You’re a terrible Nadal fan.

April 15th, 2013 at 10:50 am

Maybe Novak should just say he needs 7 months for his ankle to heal, then no one will expect to see him until the end of the year.

April 15th, 2013 at 10:55 am

“Right now I am only focusing on celebrating today’s title,” Nadal said. “I am not in a position to think too far ahead; I need to think day by day, week by week. Let’s see how my knee feels in Acapulco. We will analyse at the end of this clay swing what happened in these last three tournaments and I will see if I am ready to play in Indian Wells.”

Lots of players “wait and see” how they feel. Some “analyze” it too.

Nole was told 10-30 days rest when he had the sprain examined by doctors. The sprain happened 8 days ago, last Sunday. So if he plays here, he’d be on the minimum side of the doctor’s orders. I assume he is waiting to make sure he feels good enough in practice. And the tournament directors are probably happy to hold the spot for him until he decides. He’s already done promotions with Andy for the event. Nole’s a good guy! Ajde Nole!! :)

April 15th, 2013 at 10:56 am

Ben Pronin . Inspite of Rafa’s injury woes right through the years I don’t ever remember him waiting till a tournament has started to decide whether he will or won’t play. Please correct me if I am wrong. Joker is just milking this injury issue for more attention than he deserves. So, he lives in MC but that doesn’t give him the right to dilly dally as to what his intentions are. This scenario is plainly insane.

April 15th, 2013 at 10:59 am

This whole “let’s take the criticism that was thrown at Nadal and throw it back at everyone else” is getting so hilariously ridiculous. I mean I get why you’d be upset, but going into super-hypocritical mode is simply unbecoming. Blackest pot, meet all kettles. As the leaders of the excuses brigade, not really sure how you can come off with this swarm of criticism.

April 15th, 2013 at 11:01 am

Wimbledon 2009!!!!!!!!!!!

April 15th, 2013 at 11:02 am

The federista sect started attacking. Is no surprise!.

Only because his fallen idol is not going to gain a title up to in several months, they do not still have other one that to attack with his poor arguments the hangman.

April 15th, 2013 at 11:04 am

If his doctors actually gave him 10-30 days to full recovery he had no business entering the draw in the first place.

The organizers are not actually holding the place for him, it’s his place until he withdraws, they cannot take him out of the draw he has to give it up.

All I’m saying is that I don’t know why he has to wait until Tuesday to say what he, most probably, has already decided.

April 15th, 2013 at 11:05 am

“not really sure how you can come off with this swarm of criticism.

Jealous.

______

jane,

Thanks for chinin in. Thought the Nole fans went out to pasture and that Rafa fans became his new legion of fans.

April 15th, 2013 at 11:05 am

Ben Pronin. “Was the chronic knee tendinitis the reason he missed 7 months …….” Nah, he just wanted a holiday and probably said to himself “ah to hell with the Olympics where I will be the flag bearer for my country, to hell with Wimbledon, to hell with the USO and to hell with the AO”

April 15th, 2013 at 11:08 am

Rafa withdrew from Wimbledon after the draw but before the tournament started.

In Rafa’s case, I can understand why pressure could have been put on him to leave it to the last minute because he is Box Office, Novak is not, whether he lives in MC or not.

April 15th, 2013 at 11:08 am

Jealous of what? That makes no sense. They’re just projecting.

Rafaeli, are you serious? I just don’t understand how Nadal fans can be so bloody ignorant on how real injuries work. How do you know Djokovic has made a decision? He hurt his ankle. He’s been pretty much cleared to play after adequate rest. He could still be sore right now and not sure if his ankle can handle attempting a title run. By tomorrow, it could feel good enough to give it a go. How is he supposed to know how he’s going to feel in a few days? He has every right to do what he’s doing. And he’s not the first one. Not by a long shot!

April 15th, 2013 at 11:13 am

Ok Rafaeli, wait to justify that. Except not really. He dilly dallied just the same. And who cares about Monte Carlo compared to Wimbledon?

Giles, you’re the worst Nadal fan. Clearly you do not follow the guy.

April 15th, 2013 at 11:14 am

If Novak’s ankle is sore, why did he play the promo match with Murray, I would have thought he’s want to rest it as much as possible.

April 15th, 2013 at 11:16 am

skeezer, they are not Nole’s fans.

rafaeli, 10 days would be precisely the correct amount of time given Nole’s first match would be Wednesday, IF the ankle feels well enough.

I am sure the tournament directors would rather Nole wait until the last possible moment to decide as they want him to play! He is number 1, he lives there, and he has a lot of fans, so he’s a good draw for the event. Hence, I am sure they don’t mind waiting and are maybe even encouraging him not to decide until the last minute. Nole said he has their support.

April 15th, 2013 at 11:17 am

rafaeli, you mean this “promo match”? LOL!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXZYUMl6KVg

April 15th, 2013 at 11:19 am

Jane, the organizers can’t take him out of the draw, that would be tantamount to disqualifying him. It’s up to him to give up his place so he doesn’t need their support to keep them dangling on a string.

Whoever has been lined up to replace him if he withdraws, is probably incurring costs right now, paying hotel bills etc. not knowing whether it would all be in vain or not.

April 15th, 2013 at 11:22 am

If Nadal’s knees were such a hindrance, why did he play two best of 3 set exhibition matches on the eve of Wimbledon before deciding to pull out?

You see how that works?

April 15th, 2013 at 11:23 am

Oh my gosh! Look at all the strain Djokovic put on his ankle in that promo “match”!!! This guy is clearly yanking our chains. The nerve of him to dilly dally!!

April 15th, 2013 at 11:25 am

Jane, not a packed house then. I guess more people were watching Nadal practice.

Any kind of exertion should be avoided.

April 15th, 2013 at 11:26 am

http://alturl.com/m6bep
Ben Pronin. Wimbledon 2009 scenario.
And don’t call me the “worst Nadal fan” just because I differ with your views! We all know you don’t like the man. Ut that is your prerogative.

April 15th, 2013 at 11:28 am

^^ but not Ut

April 15th, 2013 at 11:29 am

I can’t open the link.

Differ with my views? There’s no “differing views” here. You don’t even know what the cause of Nadal’s extended absence was. It wasn’t the tendinitis. You simply don’t follow him. It’s cool, not everyone can be a good fan.

April 15th, 2013 at 11:30 am

http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2013/04/nadal-doesnt-want-appear-arrogant/47092/#.UWwdYKyHPFw

Pfft, utter arrogance :D

April 15th, 2013 at 11:32 am

Ben Pronin. Did you read the article I posted or were you blinkered? He played those Exos to test his knees.
Isn’t joker doing the same thing in MC, testing his ankle? Only difference is joker has been testing his ankle over several days, not just 2 Exos.

April 15th, 2013 at 11:33 am

Nadal is far from arrogant. He just tells it like it is!

April 15th, 2013 at 11:36 am

Here is Giles’s link

Spain’s Nadal looks hampered by knee injury in pre-Wimbledon exo.

Article from: EFE World News Service | June 18, 2009 | Copyright

London, Jun 18, 2009 (EFE via COMTEX) — Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal lost a pre-Wimbledon exhibition match here Thursday to Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt and showed signs that he has not fully recovered from lingering knee problems.

The world No. 1, who said after his shocking early-round defeat at this year’s French Open that he has been battling tendonitis in both knees, was visibly slower than usual during the 6-4, 6-3 loss to Hewitt.

The Spaniard said afterward on his Web site that he will make a decision about his participation at Wimbledon – where he is the defending champion – after another exhibition match against Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka …

April 15th, 2013 at 11:36 am

And you guys don’t see how that is the same, if not a little worse, than what Djokovic is doing?

April 15th, 2013 at 11:39 am

his is what Rafa said

“I cannot say I’m not 100% when I won three of the four tournaments that I played since my return. The other players would say that I am an arrogant,” Nadal said in Monte Carlo, where he will try to win his record-extending ninth title. “But you cannot be 100% after stopping for seven months.”

Perfectly logical. Even though all the players know what a less than 100% Nadal can achieve, he doesn’t want to appear to be saying so himself.

April 15th, 2013 at 11:40 am

Wasn’t it when Rafa was deciding about IW/Miami that he played an exho on hard courts versus Delpo. So I don’t think Nole’s mimi-match was such a big deal.

Nole IS a draw rafaeli. I am not saying he is THE MOST POPULAR PLAYER – and nor do I need to. But he is popular and has a lot of fans. This was outside his practice the other day – just trying to get a peak at Nole:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BH0LX6uCUAMqRWy.jpg:large

April 15th, 2013 at 11:40 am

This is just like the time when Nadal said “I don’t want to be that guy who always has an injury excuse when I lose, but I just lost because I’m injured.”

He already said it. He’s not not saying it by saying it that way. He’s just trying to cover it up in some roundabout way.

But I guess some players must really think so or he wouldn’t be saying it.

April 15th, 2013 at 11:51 am

Jane, I counted about 25 people. I’ll take your word for it that they were watching Novak, because it could have been anyone behind the canvass. For all we know there was Sumo Wrestling going on.

What a way to treat you fans? At least Rafa let’s them in and makes sure they can sit down.

There was a near riot yesterday when Rafa was about, everyone wanting to touch him.

April 15th, 2013 at 11:52 am

“Only difference is joker has been testing his ankle over several days” Nole has only tested his ankle about 4 days; not sure if that qualifies as “several” given he was playing Davis Cup tennis just 8 days ago, which is the day he had the ankle roll. He was still having MRIs and therapy on it until the 10th.

April 15th, 2013 at 11:52 am

Oh man, gotta love Nadal fans. Losing all arguments? Let’s criticize Djokovic for having less people show up to his promo event than Nadal’s practice! Advantage, Nadal fans, clearly.

April 15th, 2013 at 11:54 am

http://alturl.com/asn78
And here is Rafa being mobbed. Atrocious security!

April 15th, 2013 at 11:59 am

rafaeli, sigh. That picture was tweeted and the caption said it was Nole’s practice, why would I post it otherwise?

BTW, even some Nadal fans have tweeted about Nole’s practices:

@Nadalnews: saw a few minutes of Nole’s practice – early in the practice, so just warming up. Ankle heavily taped – low on ankle

If I am to see things from your perspective, I guess Nole has little-to-no fans then, and treats the meager group of fans he does have like crap (as we must assume NO ONE was let into the practice based on that photo – wtf?). I guess Nole is treating the potential lucky loser like crap too. I guess Nole is furthermore evil for “testing” his ankle. I guess Nole should be exiled to the Black Sea never to the return to the tour. Happy?

I honestly don’t understand why you’re so taken aback by Nole being cautious about his injury. If anything it seems to me that Nadal fans should understand or get it. But whatever. You are entitled to your views of course. Personally, I won’t spend any more time on it. Have at him!

April 15th, 2013 at 12:00 pm

^Right??? Like of all the people who could sympathize you’d think it’d be Nadal fans. They go through this all the time! You’d think the Federer fans would be busy calling Djokovic a pansy or something. At least that’d make more sense!

April 15th, 2013 at 12:02 pm

Jane, it encourages dialogue that’s all. Of course Novak has his reasons to delay telling everyone his decision to play or not.

April 15th, 2013 at 12:05 pm

Jane compare Giles’s link of Nadal being mobbed with Novak’s handful of fans made to crouch on the ground just to see his ankle.

April 15th, 2013 at 12:06 pm

I see some people have got serious problems about novak djokovic’s ankle issue!! All the post from them on this thread are making me laugh :D

April 15th, 2013 at 12:15 pm

jane

I was at IW a few years back, and Nole and Rafa were practicing side by side. Both courts were covered with fans. Don’t listen to this BS. Cherry picking pics from Rafa sites is NOT proof of anything.

So obvious the caravan here trying to deflect Rafa’s historical consistent injury excuse train.

——

Now, if I were a Rafa fan, I’d be linking this;

http://tinyurl.com/cahyt55

But I’m not.

April 15th, 2013 at 12:23 pm

skeezer, you must be a closet Nadal fan.

April 15th, 2013 at 12:26 pm

So what time is Novak’s announcement tomorrow?

April 15th, 2013 at 12:28 pm

skeezer. The link you posted is your best ever post so far! Hehehe

April 15th, 2013 at 12:33 pm

If he doesn’t play I will eat my hat!!

April 15th, 2013 at 12:50 pm

Sorry, that was the wrong link

here it is

https://mobile.twitter.com/RafaelNadalFC/media/grid?idx=7

April 15th, 2013 at 2:00 pm

I hope Nole plays very well at MC and gets to No. 20 before Federer.

April 15th, 2013 at 2:37 pm

Ben wrote: ” By tomorrow, it could feel good enough to give it a go. How is he supposed to know how he’s going to feel in a few days? He has every right to do what he’s doing.”

I see according to your infinite wisdom (and of course undisquised hatred for Rafa), Nole is allowed to take it day by day and not know how his ankle will feel in a few days, but Rafa is not allowed to do the same. Anytime Rafa said he wasn’t 100%, you crucified him, basically calling him a fake. Your rants about him have ceased being funny anymore as has skeezer’s constant rags about the same. You two are like a broken record.

April 15th, 2013 at 4:00 pm

skeezer. You are too late with your link at 2.00 pm. I posted that very same link at 11.59 am

April 15th, 2013 at 4:23 pm

I knew skeezer was a closet Rafan, posting links from Rafa Fan Club sites…..

April 15th, 2013 at 6:04 pm

Thats a lovely picture of Rafa and that baby on the link that Skeezer put up,he seems to have a great affection for kids,im sure he will make a great dad when he eventually has his own kids.

April 15th, 2013 at 6:29 pm

All sounds a bit childish really,the my dads bigger than your dad type of school yard mentality,i would say Roger has to be the most popular,but they all have their own fan bases,and they are all very popular,i have even seen pictures of Rogers fans asking Rafa for autographs,and vice versa, same with Novak,theres room for them all,and that makes tennis all the better for it,when Rafa beat Andy at Wimbledon in 2010,he said how great the Brits were towards him after he beat Andy,and Roger always draws a huge crowd wherever he goes.

April 15th, 2013 at 6:42 pm

Wog boy, or other Nole fans, Vajda did an interview with L’Equipe, stating Nole had a new MRI done. Vajda said he’s fine “except for a little issue remaining + moves + doubts. Pain could stay a month.”

Makes me concerned: would prefer that he not play with doubts and pain. : /

April 15th, 2013 at 7:44 pm

This is part of an article from Bleacher’s.

UPDATE: Tuesday, Apr. 9 at 12:00 p.m. ET by Sam Westmoreland

While Djokovic’s fans seem to be freaking out over the star’s ankle issue, the one person who isn’t panicking is Djoker himself. According to a report from The Telegraph, Novak told reporters that the ankle isn’t all that serious, and that he could be back to action within a week or so.

Per The Telegraph’s report:

“The world’s top player has undergone an MRI examination this morning which revealed no structural damage to the joint capsule and ligaments. A joint structures strain requires therapy and strict rest in the following days,” the statement read.

“Depending on the recovery, a decision will be made on Nole’s participation at the forthcoming tournament in Monte Carlo.”

The six-time major winner admitted his pride at representing Serbia – with whom he won the Davis Cup in 2010 – stopped him from pulling out of his match on Sunday, with his victory sealing his country’s semi-final place.

“Obviously it’s very strong emotion when you play for your country; I guess that’s the biggest reason why I kept playing,” said Djokovic on the tournament’s website after beating Querrey.

“Injuries are a part of sport, and you try to avoid as much as you can as an athlete.”

While Djokovic’s injury could be a nagging one, he doesn’t appear to have any serious structure issues at this point, which hints at a quick return to form.

—End Update—

It stands to reason that if djokovic was able to play an Exho with Murray, he can play at Monte Carlo also. Why is it some posters feel that this injury is so much worse than the player himself thinks it is, is somewhat mind-boggling.

April 15th, 2013 at 8:25 pm

That’s from April 9th, only 2 days after the roll. Since then Nole has actually been on the practice court to try out the ankle and has expressed views that are cautiously optimistic. I think we can take his coach’s word on things and add to that some of what Nole said yesterday:

““I can’t guarantee 100% that I’ll be on court, I have to be realistic and cautious….If I have discomfort over the next two days that would be an indication if I should or should not play. This is the start of a new season on a new surface. To compete at a high level I must be 100% fit. I’ve been taping the ankle and doing all I can to be ready on the court. I know there is a lot of expectation for me to play – no one wants me to be out there more than I do.”

From “Novak Djokovic facing concerns over French Open preparations” at The Guardian.

Nole didn’t play an exho with Andy; they stood at a mini net and hit the ball back and forth without moving for about 20 minutes at most. It would be considerably easier than a practice.

April 15th, 2013 at 8:35 pm

^ ^ You call that update? You are a bit late with that “update”, that was one day after injury, check previous threads, you missed quite a few days on TX?

April 15th, 2013 at 8:41 pm

That was for Alok, not for jane.

April 15th, 2013 at 8:42 pm

jane,

I am sure they will come out with right decision. At least our man is keeping us guessing 7 days and not 7 months.

April 15th, 2013 at 8:47 pm

it looks like the other fans are more concerned with Nole’s injury than us, Nole fans.

April 15th, 2013 at 8:49 pm

Rule #1 in google hunting,

Never ever rely on Bleacher, you better have a backup.

April 15th, 2013 at 8:56 pm

And I wish Nole would not play MC. I was watching when he injured his ankle and I have had various sprained ankles. Even when nothing is torn or broken, if it is still painful, I hope he withdraws and plays it safe. even though …

my ATP bracket will suffer!

April 15th, 2013 at 9:33 pm

Rule #2:

Never take geezer bimbo seriously….just kidding…LOL

April 15th, 2013 at 9:36 pm

^ ^ You call that update? You are a bit late with that “update”, that was one day after injury, check previous threads, you missed quite a few days on TX?

April 15th, 2013 at 8:41 pm

It was from the most recent Bleacher report, and it was also 3 days after the problem occurred.

Yes, I missed a lot from tennis-x, which is not the place to be when djokovic is being discussed. i make it a point to stay away, and judging from the comments, a lot of posters do the same. Anyone who is not showering praises on him has got to be someone else, and a poster who has stopped blogging here a long time ago.

It makes me laugh to see how some of his fans seem to think they know his every move and his thoughts and can even speak for him.

April 15th, 2013 at 9:37 pm

skeezer Says:
Rule #1 in google hunting,

Never ever rely on Bleacher, you better have a backup.

April 15th, 2013 at 8:56 pm

Is this meant for me? surprise, surprise, I don’t waste my time googling sports figures’ every move and hang onto their every word. That’s for the obsessed and those who live vicariously through their idols. Life’s got a lot more going that to idolize anyone.BTW, Bleacher presents itself in my email box.

April 15th, 2013 at 9:41 pm

“it looks like the other fans are more concerned with Nole’s injury than us, Nole fans.”

You guys were worried about Rafa’s injury and his “secret training” for about 7 months….this is nothing….get used to it

April 15th, 2013 at 9:41 pm

The exho with Murray was more like mini tennis – it was less physical than taking a shower.

April 15th, 2013 at 9:44 pm

Wog boy Says:
it looks like the other fans are more concerned with Nole’s injury than us, Nole fans.

April 15th, 2013 at 8:49 pm

Put your mind at ease, I’m totally unconcerned about the No.1 player’s comings and goings. His fans, make it their business to keep us up-to-date.

April 15th, 2013 at 9:45 pm

@Gleischer,

I could take that 9:41 post by you and make you look idiotic, but you always seem to do a good job of it on your own….LOL…j/k.

Sides, there actually are some good Rafa posters here, you and giles aren’t one of them. Take some lessons from queen, she/he is awesome and knows how to talk dirty.

April 15th, 2013 at 9:58 pm

^^ Then why did you try to give us “update” on Nole’s injury, don’t worry about “updating” us we are fine without your “update.”

April 15th, 2013 at 10:03 pm

^ For Alok

April 15th, 2013 at 10:10 pm

contador, when I read this, “I know there is a lot of expectation for me to play,” it makes me think he will try to play. If he does, I trust he knows what he’s doing. Ajde Nole! :) Wog boy, yeah, I am sure they’ll make the right choice all things considered.

April 15th, 2013 at 10:32 pm

MC is being played ATM, and all we have to read about is drama, and more drama, will he or won’t he. Nothing about the matches that are being played. Are there any tennis fans watching the matches?

It doesn’t matter who’s fit or unfit, we all know who will lift the trophy come Sunday, it’s Rafa.

April 15th, 2013 at 11:25 pm

I agree with you, Jane :)

Ajde Nole!

April 16th, 2013 at 12:36 am

Alok, excuse me but when you describe MC in those terms – how boring tennis seems. And yes, I have been watching the matches – their being in Europe makes it more challenging but if I’m up at 2:00 am there is good tennis on.

It is a competition. Hopefully there will be some surprises. For a tennis fan that is not really a big Rafa fan, it is best to just enjoy the ride, you know? It is not ALL about just one player or one team. (well, I guess for many it is, lol )

April 16th, 2013 at 12:46 am

Btw, this was the best rafa fanatic exposed thread ever. As Ben wisely remarked,

“Giles, you’re the worst Nadal fan. Clearly you do not follow the guy.”

Well, Gleischer desperately searches for Rafa links, lol. If you call that “following”.

April 16th, 2013 at 1:20 am

“Rafas season basically shuts down after the CC season is finished,as hes such a pile of garbage of clay,Novak will get the FO sooner or later to complete the set of that i am sure”

I am wondering if this is this the Statement you made ?? Is it Alison or somebody in disguise ?? I know you as an avid Rafa Fan and the wordings you used here do not endorse that certification – a pile of garbage on Clay ?? I am sure Novak will have chances at Rolland Garros but for that he needs to have some luck on his way.

April 16th, 2013 at 2:03 am

Hey geezer. So, all suspicions confirmed, you really are a closet Rafa fan. Scouring the Rafa fan sites for info and posting pics. Concentrate on your man, he will need plenty of love and attention in the coming months
And guess what, I regard you as the worst fed fan ever. You are crude, rude and a provocateur. #GetALife

April 16th, 2013 at 3:10 am

PS. Fed doesn’t deserve fans of your calibre. I hope he doesn’t read your posts, he would squirm with disgust and bar you from his fan base!

April 16th, 2013 at 3:13 am

Michael i said a pile of garbage off clay,like i said Novak will be back firing on all cylinders before you know it,hes a much better HC player than Rafa is and most of the season is on HCs anyway,Novaks better on clay than Rafa is off clay is what i was saying,Rafa is excellent on clay and builds his season around it,and his season basically shuts down after clay,he only has that small window of oppotunity,Novak has three quarters of the season to rack up the titles,also im not an avid Rafa fan im a normal Rafa fan,im no better or worse than any of his other fans.

April 16th, 2013 at 4:26 am

^Just to add i am the same Alison,and like i say im pretty confident for Novaks fans that he will bag the FO sooner or later.^

April 16th, 2013 at 5:00 am

Alison,

Thanks for the clarification. I think Rafa is an all court player than many like to give credit for. He is Supreme on Clay, but he is proficient in other surfaces as well. I am not sure how can I respond to your statement of Novak being better on clay than Rafa is off clay. I do not think Rafa’s record is so bad outside of clay. He has a reasonably good record. His five consecutive wimbledon final streak itself proves the way he adjusts to Clay and Grass which is not an easy feat without any stretch of doubt. Ofcourse his career is lop sided with Clay tournaments which dominate his record, but his prowess on other courts has been tested and proved to be reasonably good. I appreciate your good wishes for Novak and the optimism you espoused about his Rolland Garros prospects. I too think he has a good chance and a sure shot if he plays well. But right now, his game is tottering and we can only guess the way forward. Let us hope for the best and may be Novak will re-discover that form which elevated him to the top of the Tennis World. If only he can do that, the Clay season would turn pretty interesting with Novak and Rafa battling out in an equal contest. If not, it would be free-for-Rafa.

April 16th, 2013 at 7:35 am

Michael yeah and to add to that, i hope Rafa can carry on the great form he showed at IW too,dont get me wrong as much as enjoy what he does on clay,i would love for him to even things out on HC surfaces,not so much on grass as i dont think he has much to prove there either,but then again you have what you have so i shouldnt really complain as what he has is already pretty damn good,and if he were to win a GS this year on any surface,he would break the record of the 1st player in the open era to do it for 9 straight years,and that could be a record that lasts for years,i suppose i can see why a none fan would be bored of a players domination,but it is what it is,nothing much any of us can do about it,except watch,wait and hope.

April 16th, 2013 at 8:02 am

Man oh man. Sometimes I just love you guys. I really don’t like to get this bogged down in these arguments but you just keep adding fuel to my fire!

Julia, I’m glad it stopped being funny, it was never intended to be funny. And throughout this thread, the only criticisms I’ve thrown towards Nadal are the ones that you guys have been throwing at Djokovic. It’s not even about defending Djokovic for me. I hope he’s healthy but I don’t really care about this will-he-won’t-he crap. I just don’t get why Nadal fans care so much, and how, OF ALL THE FANS IN THE WORLD, they are the ones criticizing Djokovic. Is the mentality “how dare someone else take a page out of Glorious Rafa’s book?” What’s the deal here?

Alok, you are hilarious! You provide and update, an outdated one at that, and then criticize everyone for not discussing the matches being played. Uhh, what dude?

April 16th, 2013 at 8:47 am

This is officially the dumbest thread ever. I hope Nole is well and plays…and that Rafa beats him! Vamos!

alison, I am surprised at your comments. I thought you were being sarcastic saying Rafa is a pile of garbage off clay. I guess one could argue that Nole is better on clay than Rafa is off of clay, but I would disagree.

April 16th, 2013 at 9:42 am

“His five consecutive wimbledon final streak ”

Michal, this should have an: from the last 5 Wimbledons he played during that period.

There is a HUGE diffenrence making 5 Straight consecutive finals than having 3 finals, don’t play one year and another 2 straight finals, It changed everyhting.

1: you either were not fit or injured, which takes away the achievement of conscutive due to consistancy or
2: you were either not ready to play mentally

Throwing this line place his achievement together with other who actually had achived 5 straight consecutive finals in current years. Is not a go at Nadal’s achievement but I had to call it as it is because this was not the first time I read similar sentences.

April 16th, 2013 at 9:46 am

Lulu, now that’s something that has the grounds for an interesting discussion. I also thought alison was being sarcastic. Garbage off of clay? That’s pretty funny. As for who’s better between Djokovic on clay vs Nadal off? Well, I don’t know. Are we including grass? I’ll say no because that makes things even more complicated. Djokovic is naturally more comfortable on clay than Nadal is on hard. But outside of that, the results speak for themselves. Just look at Indian Wells and Nadal’s crazy semi streak there. Djokovic doesn’t have anything like that, at least nothing close. 2 hard court slams and 2 finals vs 1 final on clay. Several more hard court masters vs only a few for Novak. Results speak for themselves.

April 16th, 2013 at 10:22 am

The garbage on clay, as Alison, calls him, has a 6-1 h2h against the ‘GOAT’ on h/c outdoor and has a 77% success rate on h/c.

To be honest Alison does talk a load of garbage and Judas is too nice a name for someone who sells her own favourite for favour.

I for one will not take anything you, Alison, say about Nadal seriously ever again. You’ve shown your true colours.

April 16th, 2013 at 11:36 am

Daniel i see where your coming from,Rafa didnt make 5 wimbledon finals in consecutive years,just 5 finals,and from what i can gather hes the only active player to do so,other than Roger of course,Jane put up a reliability Fedex index some weeks ago,and Rafa is in the top 10 of the best GC players,in fact Roger would be the only active player with more wimbledon titles.

April 16th, 2013 at 11:37 am

Ben/Lulu it was meant as sarcasm,although it was not aimed at Michael,just an overall generalisation,IMO his credentials on HCs are very good,Jane posted a Fedex reliability index on HCs some weeks ago also,at Rafa is 12 on the all time list,that will most likely rise significantly before his career is over.

April 16th, 2013 at 11:42 am

Rafaeli if you think that about me then fair enough your entitled to your opinion,it was only meant as LHS(LIGHT HEARTED SARCASM),but if your not able to read between the lines then im sorry thats your problem not mine,but dont let that stop you from insulting me,as frankly my dear i dont give a damn.

April 16th, 2013 at 11:49 am

You are not very good at sarcasm then because I’m not the only one who didn’t see it as such. Keep sucking up to Rafa’s haters, I’m sure their praise means a lot to you. Just don’t pretend you are a fan of someone you diss at your convenience.

April 16th, 2013 at 11:57 am

Rafaeli BTW feel free to ignore my posts if you wish,nobodys forcing you to read them.

April 16th, 2013 at 11:57 am

That’s very good advice, Alison. If that’s the kind of garbage you write.

April 16th, 2013 at 12:03 pm

OH for gods sake wind your bloody neck in woman,its only a bloody game,lighten up?

April 16th, 2013 at 12:08 pm

@Ben: I provided that update to show that from, day 3 the guy was fine and it’s only his fans are pretending that he’s hurt, and dwelling on their inner fears, but I don’t expect you and the others who jumped in the lop my neck off could see that. It was the latest Bleacher Report, BTW.

I was only sticking to the thread title and discussion.

However, it’s obvious you nor the ones who were jumping in to criticize me can’t understand what I did. They are still talking of djokovic’s ankle as though it waS INJURED THE PREVIOUS DAY.

My mention of tennis matches being played, is to point out that there’s a tournament going on and all that’s being discussed is poor Djokovic by his obsessed fan, who loves to keep people up to date with as many links and pictures that can be found to build him up as this super hero. It’s as though the whole tennis world has stood still and only djokovic and his obsessed fan exists in the tennis kingdom.

April 16th, 2013 at 6:40 pm

@Ben: Alok, you are hilarious! You provide and update, an outdated one at that, and then criticize everyone for not discussing the matches being played. Uhh, what dude?

I forgot to add the above to my answer to your sarcastic post.

FYI, I criticized no one, I merely stated that there are tennis matches being played, but seeing as how the focus was on djokovic and djokovic alone, then it’s obvious why the other matches are not being discussed. Hope you can understand what I’m saying. Anyway, it’s now apparent that he’ll play, so now the tournament takes on a new life for his obsessed fan.

April 16th, 2013 at 6:55 pm

Lulu Iberica Says:
This is officially the dumbest thread ever. I hope Nole is well and plays…and that Rafa beats him! Vamos!

Yes,dittio, 6-1, 6-2.

April 16th, 2013 at 7:07 pm

Daniel,

You got it right. It was not five consecutive finals. In 2009, Rafa skipped the tournament. But still he made five finals and it is a unique feat not many can emulate.

April 17th, 2013 at 2:05 am

Michael the only active player to have more finals and more Wimbledon titles is Roger of course.

April 17th, 2013 at 2:07 am

Alison,

Players like Roger and Rafa have reached that stratosphere where anything more is bonus.

April 17th, 2013 at 2:07 am

Thankyou Michael very true.

April 17th, 2013 at 2:16 am

Alison,

Roger has many unique achievements, but what dumbstuck me is his quarter final streak which is still continuing. Many of his achievements might get broken in the eyars ahead, but I do not think this feat will ever be broken.

April 17th, 2013 at 2:23 am

Lackadaisical start from Novak.

April 17th, 2013 at 8:20 am

From 40-0 to being broken. Down 0-4. Dare I say tank job?

April 17th, 2013 at 8:34 am